Submerged in the Sublime: The Landscape Photography of Kim Keever

About

The word sublime in art history is often used to refer to scenes whose magnitude and splendor inspire awe and wonder, but also a twinge of fear. Artist Kim Keever manages to create such scenes within the confines of a fish tank.

Using his engineering background in fluid dynamics, Kim Keever takes photographs of compositions he creates using various paints and inks added to the water inside a 200-gallon tank to produce compelling atmospheric effects. Through the combination of handmade diorama elements, carefully orchestrated lighting, and the uncontrollable effects created by paints dissipating in the water, a bizarre landscape appears in front of Kim Keever’s lens. The resulting large scale photographs have often been compared to the paintings of the Hudson River School and simultaneously feel like a primordial landscape and a vision of a post-apocalyptic future.

Kim Keever lives and works in New York City. His work can be found in numerous collections, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art, and the Hirshhorn National Museum of Modern Art in Washington DC.